Selective information apparatus



' 11,477,887 L. R.`MCDQNALD SELECTIVE INFORMATION APPARATUS Filed Junel2. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l @Mom/atm, um "@MMQL.

bio/ammi? mec. 1s, 1923.

'Dem 8 1923. v 31,477,887

L. R. MCDONALD SELEGTIVE INFORMATION APPARATUS Filed June l2. 1922 i 4Sheets-Shea?l 2 Dec. 18 1923. AYZSS? L. R. MCDONALD SELECT-IVEINFORMATION APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 atented Dec.18, 123.

aussi LESLIE BJ. IVJCDOITALD, QF WESTMOUNT, QUEBEC, CANADA.

SELECTIVE INFORMATION APPARATUS.

Application filed .Tune 12, 1922.

To all whom gt may concern.'

Be it known that I, LESLIE R. MCDONALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at 'lVestmount, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, haveinvented certain new and useful improvements in Selective informationApparatus, of which the following is a specification. Y

My invention relates to that class of se- 1U lective informationapparatus in which a number of placards, or the like, are attached to acommon carrier and are arranged to be successively exposed to view; andmy im provements are directed particularly to means whereby a normallycontinuous movement of the apparatus may be interrupted at will, and anyone of the placards may be selected and brought to and held at theviewpoint, so that the apparatus' may functionV both as a continuouslymoving automatic device and as an optionally selective device.

ln the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodyingmy invention, partly broken away, for clearness; Fig.

2 is a side view, taken as looking to the left on Fig. 1, the case beingshown in section, as on the line 2 2, and the selection dial being shownin vertical section; Fig. 3 isa back view, the case being shown insection; Fig. 4 is a top view, with the top of the case removed; Figs.5, 6 and 'T are details of the placard releasing mechanism.;

Figs. 3 and 9 are details of mechanism for l turning the placard holder;Fig. 10 is a. view ofthe selective stop and switch mechanism; Fig. 11shows a vertical, longitudinal sec- .tion of the placard carrier, medialparts being broken away to condense the gure; Fig. 12 is a detail of thesame, looking to the right on Fig. 11; and Fig. 13 is a diagram of theelectric wiring. Figs. 5 to 10, inclusive, are on an enlarged scale; andFigs. 11 and 12 are on a still further enlarged scale. Fig. 9 is on alarger scale than the other Figures 5 to 10.

In all the figures similar parts are designated by correspondingreference numerals.

The apparatus is preferably assembled in a suitable case 1, which isprovided with an open or transparent front 2, behind which the placardsare exhibited.

In this case is mounted a placard carrier,'which is shown as consistingof a pair serial No. 567,773.

of disks 3, 4, with which are associated another pair of disks 5, 6,provided with series of notches or sockets 7, 7 and 8, 8, in theirrespective edges, adapted to receive the ends of the placard carryingrods or bars 9, 9, which may be locked in place by the overlappingflanges 11, 12 of the disks 3 and 4.

These disks 3, 5, 4, 6, are assembled upon a sleeve 13, to which .disks5 and 6 are sccured by set screws 15, 16, while disks 3 and 4 aresecured to the sleeve 13 by means of nuts 17, 18 threaded upon its ends.

The placards 19, 19 are carried by the bars 9, 9; and, being flexible,they may be wound up around the carrier, their notched ends, 20, 21,alternating as shown in the figures.

Through the sleeve 13 passes the shaft 22; and suitable means, such as ascrew 23, is provided to secure the sleeve releasably to the shaft, soas to allow the shaft to be withdrawn from within the sleeve, to permitthe removal of the carrier from the case if desired.

A slot 25 is carried down through the flange 12 on the disk 4, which, byrotating the disk 4 relative to the disk 6, can be made to register withany of the notches 8, 8, so as to allow the bars 9, 9, to be lifted outof or inserted into the notches. l/Vhen the slot 25 is disposed betweentwo notches 3, 3, as shown in Fig. 12, all the bars 9, 9 will be held inplace by the flange 12.

A bevelled gear 26 is carried by the shaft- 22 near one end, beingprovided with suitable means, such as a keyway, to receive a key 27 inthe shaft 22, so that the gear will rotate with the shaft, and yet theshaft may be withdrawn to free the carrier, as above explained. Anotherbevelled gear 28 is carried by a shaft 29 mounted in -t-he case, and hasa selection dial 30` fastened near its outer end, so as to revolve withthe shaft, this disk being provided with one or more series ofperforations as 01, 03, 05, 07 and 02, O4, 06, 08, passing quite throughit.

A crank arm 31 is slotted, at 32, near one end, to receive the end ofthe shaft 29, over which it can slide within the limits of the slot; andit is provided at its free end with a handle 33, in which is mounted aplunger 34, preferably normally raised by a coiled spring 35, thearrangement being such that the handle may be swung' or slid into4position over any of the holes 01, 02, etc., and the piston 34 depressedto pass through and project beyond the hole, as shown in *ign 2, so thatwhen the handle is turned anticlockwise the dial will revolve with ituntil the plunger 34 meets the insulated exten SOD V56 on the end oitthe spring switch 37V causing the switch to close with the termi nal 38,and, simultaneously, the extension 36 to be arrested by the stop 39,with the results in the electric circuits which will be hereinaftertraced.

The pertorations through the dial 30 are preferably made at the. bottomof grooves 40, 41, which assist the plunger in centering over anyselected hole, when the handle is slid incr out on the shaft 29; and, byseparating the perlorations into two or more series, it is made possibleto use, without undue crowding, a larger number than could be employedin a single series, and also to give ample space Plor placing thereference numerals O1, O2, &c., opposite their' appropriatepertorations.

The selection perforations in the dial 3() correspond in number andrelative arrangement to the series of notches 7, 7 and 8, 8, in thedisks and 6; so that when the plunger 34 is passed through anyparticularselection perforation, for instance 01, and is carried aroundcounterclockwise until itreaches the stop 39, the pair ot notchescorrespondingin position to the perforation 01 will be brought, by therotation of the placard carrier, into proper position to release theirplacard and allow it to drop into view position.

rlhe disk 3 is provided upon its periphery with a series ol teeth, 43which correspond, one to two, to the perforations in the disk 30 and thebar-carrying sockets in each of the disks 5 and 6. Over these teeth ridethe ends ol a pallet 44, secured to a shaft 45 mounted in suitablebearings in the 'frame ol" the apparatus. the other end of the shaftbeing bent up into an arin 46. An arm 42 carrying an inertia weight 47,which also keeps the pallet to duty on the teeth 43, extends downward'from the pallet 44.

'lhearni 46 passes up through a slot 48 in an arm 49,and also through adiagonal slot 50, in an arm 51 pivoted at 52 to the 'trarne Vof theapparatus.v ,53o that, when the arm 46.is swung back and forth, by thedog 44 yriding over the teeth 43, the arm 51 will be swung from side toside over the notched and overlapped ends oit the placards 19, againstwhich it presses, thereby releasing one of the placards for each halftooth 43 passing the pallet. This notching o'l the `ends the placardsolers twice as long a ,fbearing forftheend ot the arm 51 against the endof each placard as would be possible ilth'eplacard ends were cutsquarely across,

thereby making` it practicable to use, and

properly control, a much larger number of placarc than could otherwisebe employed.

uitablc spring arms 58, 53 press against the rolled placards, and keepthem snugly wrapped around the carrier.

A small electric motor 60 is mounted in the case, and its shaft 61carries a worm 62, meshing with a worin gear 63, on a shaft 64, mountedin bearings in the trame of the apparatus, and provided at its other endwith a disk-like head 65, to which is pivoted, at 66, a pawl 67,pressedV to duty by the tree end o'l a spring 68, the other end ot whichis secured, as by a screw 69, to the head 65. The pawl 67 carries aprojecting pin 70; and thc heel of the pawl normally rests against theVstop pin 71.

lVhen the shaft 64 is turned by the motor, at each revolution the pin 70will engage one of the Vteeth 72, 72 on the disk 4, and turn the diskthe distance of one tooth, the disk being held against reverse movementby the detent-pawl 7 3 which is pivoted in the frame ot the apparatus.

As the teeth o-n the disk 4 correspond inA number to the placardscarried by the placard bars 9, and the perforations in the selectiondial 30, the end of a placard will be released by the arm 51 and allowedto drop, each time that the disk 4 is rotated one tooth space; and theplacard will remain exposed to view until the disk 4 is moved again andanother placard is dropped.

The placard carrier may be moved for ward more rapidly by means of t-heCrank 31, dial 30 and their connections; because if the pin 70 is in aposition to be overtaken by the teeth 72, 72, the teeth will simply pushthe pin ahead and pass it, one by one, the pawl rocking forward on itspivot 66 against the pressure of the spring 68', but returning to itsnormal position as soon as each tooth has passed it.

However, it is vdesirable that, when the placard carrier is selectivelyactuated, the motor drive shall be arrested. This is accomplished bycutting the motor out' of circuit by means of the switch 37. Thecircuit, includingthe motor 60, runs from the terminal 75, around toterminal 86, and includes line 77, lamp 78, line 79, lield 80, line 81,adjustable rheostat 82, line 83, lield 84 and line 85. But, whenkthe'switch 37 is closedwith contact 38, a shorter circuit is formed,from line 79, through the switch 37, contact 38, and lines 87 and 85 toterminal 86, and the motor is out out, and ceases to operate until theswitch 37 is again opened. The cutting out Voli the motor relieves thecircuit otits load; and consequently increases the brilliancy oic thelamp 78, which is peculiarly desirable when a particular placard has`been selected forexhibition at the view point.` V

be made narrower and Set closer together than they are shown in thedrawings, and the teeth e3, and 72, T2, and the perforations in the dial30 may be correspondingly increased in number, so that a much largernumber of placards may be'mounted upon the carrier than are indicated inthe drawings, which have been laid out to illustra-te the principles ofconstruction and operation involved, without unduly crowding the linesof the figures. This characteristic of compactness, whereby a muchlarger number of placards, than heretofore was possible, may be attachedto and exhibited from a single carrier, is of great commercial value, asit considerably increases the capacity of each apparatus withoutcorrespondingly increasing its size or cost. And it will be evident fromthe drawings and this specification that the parts of my apparatus arearranged so as to efficiently cooperate in obtaining the objects inView.

When the machine is vbeing driven continuously by the motor, if theoperator desires to utilize the selective, manually operable means tobring intoV view the placard corresponding to any given aperature in theguide 30, for instance the aperture 08, he swings the crank arm 3lcounter clockwise until it is over the perforation 08, the plunger 34being raised, by the spring 35 clear of the dial 30 so as to permit thismovement of the crank arm 3l. The end of the plunger 34 is then broughtover the perforation 08, by sliding the crank arm 3l inward on the shaft29; and the plunger is then pressed down through the perforation 08. Thecrank arm 31 is then swung still further counter-clockwise, carryingwith it the dial 80, until the end of the plunger 34 encounters theinsulated extension 36, which the plunger will push before it until thespring 37 closes with the Contact 38 forming a circuit from the line 7 9through the switch 37, contact 38, and lines 87 and 85 to terminal 86,thereby cutting` out and stopping the motor as already explainedInasmuch as the dial 3() is, through shaft 29, gears 28, 26 and shaft22, coordinated with the placard carrier so that their periods ofrotation are identical, it will be seen that, when the perforation O8has swung around as above described, the placa-rd corresponding with itwill be eX- posed to view.

The forward movement of the placard carrier under the influence of thedial and its connections is permissible because t-he teeth on the wheell travel forward past the pawl pin 70, pawl 67 permitting this movement,while retrograde movement is prevented.

I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my apparatus. Butit will be readily understood that details of construction may bemodified, as by the use of mechanical equivalents and the like, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention' and the scope of the claims.

living thus described my invention, what claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent op 4he llnited States is selective inforniationapjtiaratus,

tionally operable superseding carrier driving and placard selectingmeans.

a. In a selective information appara-tus, the combination of a rotatableplacard carrier, means for attaching a series of flexible placardsthereto each by one end, continuously operable, step by step carrierdriving means, means for releasing the free end of a placard at eachstep, and optionally operable superseding carrier driving and placardselecting means.

5, ln a selective information apparat-us, the combination of a rotatableplacard carrier, flexible placards with identations in their free endslaterally staggered in successive placards, continuously operabledriving means, and optionally operable selective means.

6. ln a selective information apparatus, the combination of a rotatableplacard car-- ricr, flexible placards with indentations in their freeends laterally staggered iu successivc placards, means for releasing the:free ends of the placards one by one, coin tinuously operable drivingmeans, and optionally operable selective means.

7. In a selective information apparatus. the combination of a rotatableplacard carrier, flexible placards rolledy up on the carrier andprovided with indentations in their free ends laterally staggered insuccessivo placards, laterally oscillating means for releasing the freeends of the placards one by one, continuous y operable driving means,and optionally operable selective means.

8. In a selective information apparatus, the ombination of a rotatableplacard carrier, flexible placards with indentations in their free endslaterally staggered in successive placards and with laterallyoverlapping unindented portions, continuously operable driving means,and optionally operable selective means.

9. In a. selective information apparatus,

the combination of a placard carrier, driving means, and optionallyoperable selective means embracing a selection dial provided with aplurality of series oit selection registering points.

10. In a selective information apparatus, the combination of a placardcarrier, continuously operable carrier driving means, and optionallyoperable superseding carrier driving and selecting means embracing aselection dial provided with a plurality ot' concentric series ofselection registering points.

11. In a selective information apparatus, the combination orp a placardcarrier, driv- .ing means, and optionally operable selective meansembracing a selection dial provided with a plurality of concentricgrooves each having a series ot pertorations constituting selectionregistering points.

12. In a. selective information apparatus, the combination of a placardcarrier, continuously operable carrier driving means, and optionallyoperable superseding carrier driving and selecting means embracing aselection dial provided with a. plurality ot series of selectionregistering points, and cooperating, radially adjustable selector means.

13. In a selective information apparatus, the combination of a rotatableplacard carrier, automatic driving means, optionally operable selectivemeans, and means, actuated by the selective means, for superseding andthen temporarily interrupting the action of the driving means.

14. In a selective information apparatus, the combination of a rotatableplacard carrier, automatic driving means, an electric circuit includingsuch driving means, optionally operable selective means, and meansactuated by the selective means, for modifying said electric circuit andthereby superseding and then temporarily interrupting the action of thedriving means.

15. In a selective information apparatus, the combination of a rotatableplacard carrier, automatic driving means, option ally operable selectivemea-ns, means operable by the selective means for temporarilyinterrupting the normal action of the driving means, and automaticmeans, controlled by said selective means, for causing the resump tionof such normal action.

16. In a selective information apparatus, the combination, with arotatablefplacard carrier, embodying heads each provided with barsockets therein, a series of bars mounted in said sockets, andrelatively rotatable socket closing and ybar locking means coop'-erating With each ot said heads, of driving means for rotating saidplacard carrier.

17. In a selective information apparatus, the combination, with a.rotatable placard carrier, embodying disks forming heads each providedwith peripheral bar sockets therein, a series of bars mounted in saidsockets, and relatively rotatable bar locking means cooperating' witheach of said heads, ot driving means for rotating said placard carrier.

18. In a selective information apparatus, the combination, with arotatable placard carrier, embodying headsprovided With Vbar socketstherein, a series of bars mounted in said sockets, and relativelyrotatable flanged disks constituting bar locking means, of driving meansfor rotating said placard carrier.

19. In a selective information apparatus, the combination of a rotatableplacard carrier, continuously operable driving means therefor,optionallyV operable selective means, and means for allo-Wing theselective means to accelerate the normal rotation of the carrier.

20. In a selective information apparatus, the coinbination of arotatable placard carrier, continuously operable driving means therefor,optionally Y operable selective means, and means for allowing theselective means to supersede the action of the driving means and toaccelerate the normal rotation of the carrier. Y

LESLIE It. MGDGNALD.

